The narrative in this book is a treat. It rolls along with a contemporary twist on text, media, news stories: just enough to puzzle and extend the interest of the reader. I like to escape when I read and this book allows both realism in the police characters and less real in the criminal minds!
Perhaps at times too convoluted, it makes for a great page-turner, set in the lovely Oxford.

I read the first in the series, Close to home, really enjoyed it, and couldn't wait to start this one.
And bloody hell, I was gripped and blown away and thrilled and a million other words from beginning to end.
It was really well done, it continued some of the story lines from the first book, but the book read nicely as a stand alone in my opinion. I did not expect the ending as well. Well done!!!

I recently read and thoroughly enjoyed "Close To Home." The second novel forces you to focus and switch on your brain to high alert. The Adam Fawley team are back again. I love the rapport and dark humour between the team members. On this occasion, they discover a young girl and child falsely imprisoned in a cellar. Immediately it reminds you of the Stockholm syndrome and the case of Elizabeth Fritzel in Austria except this young girl is not related to the owner of the house. Slavery then comes to mind. The team have to work out what has been happening. It's not as straightforward as it seems as the plot develops. It's a winding road all the way through. It's a story of lies, revenge and betrayal and it's an exceptionally unusual case. I got nowhere near guessing the outcome. I might mention I was "In The Dark" all the way through. It's brilliantly, skilfully written and compelling. What impressed me was how one character gave an excellent definition of the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath including gender differences. It is something that I have not been able to distinguish even after research, but now I have discovered the missing links that's evaded me. A gasp-like WOW ending!!!! Massive thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Books UK.

Having enjoyed Close to Home and the character of DI Fawley, I was pleased to find In The Dark on NetGallery. I'll be perfectly honest that not once had I figured the plot out so was able to sit back and enjoy the generous twists. The book almost convinces you that you know the ending but I'll be impressed if you do!

An array of really likeable characters features who are all easily distinguishable, not easy when so much of the story takes place at a police station. I liked that we delved in a bit more to Fawley's homelife and spent more time with Alex.

I think the use of recordings, social media posts and newspaper clippings are a really nice touch and make the story feel somewhat (scarily) realistic. This is a twisty turny thriller which I thoroughly recommend and which will keep you on your toes throughout.

Thank you NetGallery for my advanced reading copy.

This book is the first for me in the DI Adam Fawley investigations and his team and I shall be looking at picking up the first as I really enjoyed this book and only took me a few days to read .... which means I enjoyed it !

The plot was very clever and the book and characters set the scene really well and lots of twist and turns kept me flicking pages and stopping me from my house work on a few occasions .... And the ending i never really saw coming every time i thought i had it sussed something else happened that made everything i thought go out the widow

Really looking forward to reading the next adaption but before then i shall be looking at reading Book 1

Thanks to Netgalley for my ARC. This is another fine thriller from Cara Hunter. It grips right from the start and the plot is fabulous with many twists and red herrings. The police procedures have a realistic feel and I love the way most of the 'good guys' are flawed in some way. The only reason I'm not giving this the fifth star is due to my personal preference, not a reflection in the story. I'm not a fan of placing the narratives from past witnesses in a written report format; for me it slowed the pace. However, fabulous book that should be a great hit this summer.

This is the first novel I have read by this author and will be seeking out the previous one, which would have put some of the comments and background in perspective.

Having said that it was a stand-alone book and story, which had me intrigued from the beginning. It was well developed and the police characters were the most amazingly in all of it.

I did struggle with some of the coincidences and relationships so found some of the background a little ‘out there’.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Books, Viking and Cara Hunt for my ARC in return for my honest review.

Good read, recommended.

I've never read this author before so it took me a while to figure out what was happening with the Adam but it didn't take me long, from first page to the last I really enjoyed it, the twist that kept the pages turning, would highly redommend.

this book is gripping,i found it hard to put down the story line is gripping and intense and you are drawn into the story, will definately add this author to my favourite authors, would highly recommend

In the Dark is the second in a series featuring Oxford DI Adam Fawley and his team – I haven’t read the first, and did initially feel this put me at a slight disadvantage in terms of figuring out who was who, but this quickly sorted itself out and didn’t ultimately affect my enjoyment of the story at all.

The plot grabbed me right from the start, when a horrifying discovery is made in the cellar of a house owned by William Fraser, an elderly man suffering from dementia. What has happened, who is responsible, and what are the links to the disappearance of a young woman two years earlier? I don’t want to say too much about the story here, for risk of spoilers - but it is full of twists and turns.

In the Dark is a terrific police procedural – so much so that at about halfway through I rushed off to buy the previous book in the series. Top quality stuff – many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review!

WOW how did this Detective series slip by me, this is the second installment of DI Fawley by Cara Hunter. I've literally just finished it & my mind is still racing!

A woman & child are found by chance locked in a cellar of an elderly man with alzeimers, how did they get there, who are they? was it like the Fritzl case? As the story develops, who do you feel most for? It's a tough one to call.... So many twists & turns, I'm still WTF...no way.... Absolutely loved it, the build up, the back story, the coinciding story of the journalist who disappeared two years previous, outstanding writing. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for further books in this series.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Books and special thanks to Cara Hunter for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

A most interesting and complex story of a traumatised and shocked young woman that was found locked in a cellar together with a recently born infant having survived for some time without food and water. Being taken to hospital under sedation and unable to speak why she got there was a mystery open to speculation. The story leads into the lives and actions of the team of detectives charged with solving the mystery and their thoughts, personal relationships and frustrations. The characters are interesting and so well drawn that the reader feels drawn in as part of the team as they become faced with superfluous red herrings and false leads. After being fooled by a most cunning and devious psychopath the team finally makes a breakthrough that leads to a shocking and surprising conclusion of a most unusual crime.

In The Dark by Cara Hunter a five-star read that will have you searching. This is the first book by this author I have read, and I’m sure it won’t be the last, I took a chance on this author as normally I follow recommendations in the genre by my mum, (she always steers me right in the genre) but I’m so glad I gave it a try and didn’t wait for her. This was a read that had me jumping at my own shadow, it was so gripping that I lost track of time and was suddenly sat in a dark room with someone knocking at the door and I couldn’t have told you the time, the day or anything, I was so engrossed in the story, I had been sat for hours and hadn’t noticed. Its that gripping. The character of DI Adam Fawley was complex, yet intriguing character, how he leads his team was inspiring. How they get to the conclusion they do is fascinating, I was continually changing ideas and theories and then when more details were revealed about the characters they just blew my mind some more. What a story, I will definitely be looking out for this author in the future.

The finger of suspicion has a tremendous workout right the way through to the conclusion of ‘In The Dark’, pointing out numerous suspects along the way, ensuring that the reader remains utterly gripped from the word go.

The second in the DI Adam Fawley series gets off to a riveting start, with the discovery of a young woman and a child in the cellar of a former academic (who incidentally exhibits all the signs of dementia). It seems that they have been held captive, and the woman in particular is in a bad way, unable even to speak, such is the level of her trauma. Investigations demonstrate links to a missing girl two years previously, (and how DI Fawley and his team painstakingly identify the dots that join the two is just ingenious)!

Fawley and his team have their work cut out with what turns out to be an extremely complex case, and the author certainly brings these guys to life. I particularly liked the relationship between Detectives Quinn and Gislingham (Gis) “Gis, who has always been exceptionally good at knowing when to stop digging, and Quinn who carries his own set of shovels“! DI Fawley himself is very perceptive, and he shares those perceptions with a touch of humour and irony.

As police procedurals go, it doesn’t get much better, alternating between characters good, bad, and innocent, where motivations vary from the pure to the malicious, and with plenty of twists and turns. I can now include Cara Hunter on my list of favourite authors. Well done Cara!

*Thank you to Netgalley, Penguin Books UK, and Cara Hunter for my ARC in exchange for an honest review *

OMG what a book! Dark, disturbing and haunting, this one is just as good as the author's first book Close to Home. The premise is just horrific, a young girl and her child have been locked in a cellar and are found close to death. The owner of the home they are found in has dementia and the police have a job on their hands to find out what was really going on.
The shocks, the twists, just when you think you know what is going on, another spanner is thrown in the works and you have to reassess. Some truly wicked characters with no redeeming features whatsoever, this is a deliciously dark read that is filled with a creeping sense of horror. A truly brilliant book, I will certainly be looking out for the author's next read. Outstanding!

A taut and suspense-filled thriller, the second in the DI Adam Fawley series, sees a young woman and child rescued from captivity. Their apparent captor is suffering from dementia and it's a mystery how they came to be there, complicated by the woman's inability to talk. The novel is gripping from the outset and filled with twists and turns.

An Utter Triumph.

Close To Home was without doubt my favourite debut of last year. I was so excited to be an early reader of In The Dark that I confess that I may have squealed!

What a return for Adam Fawley - everything that Close To Home did marvellously well is honed to a whole new level in Cara Hunter’s second book. Her use of multimedia including emails, tweets and news articles allows the reader to be on the very inside of the case, working alongside DI Fawley as he leaves no stone unturned in his quest to find out the truth.

Every word, every sentence felt so acutely real, so perfectly phrased. Every character so well plotted that you feel as if you may pass them on the street on a daily basis.

In what is fast becoming her signature - Hunter again wields the power to draw you in from the first page, only releasing you when the final word has been uttered.

Thank you so much to the Publisher for the ARC. I blinked in astonishment at the ending of Close To Home. In The Dark had me applauding throughout. Highly recommended.

Lots of twists and turns with an excellent ending which is totally unexpected. Lots of characters to get to know, and a little confusing at the start, but you soon get into the story, enjoying the gripping suspense!
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys physological thrillers. An excellent read.

Yes it’s worth it. Good believable characters........and an interesting story line with a few twists to keep you guessing

You buy a house, begin the renovations and then you get the shock of your life .....
As a young woman and child are discovered in the cellar of the house next door....The house owned by a frail old man....
Who are they, and who put them there?
Prime suspect is obviously the old man but is he actually responsible? It's down to Fawley and his team to figure out what is going on here....there is so much happening in this book ,clues, subplots and enough twists to make your head spin....brilliant